Introduced predators transform subarctic islands from grassland to tundra
Introduced predators transform subarctic islands from grassland to tundra
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DOI：
10.1126/science.1108485
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发表时间：
2005-03-25
期刊：
影响因子：
56.9
通讯作者：
Byrd, GV
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Croll, DA;Maron, JL;Byrd, GV
顶端捕食者往往对猎物种群有强大的直接影响，但这些直接影响是否传播到陆地食物网的基础是有争议的。很少有营养级联的例子强大到足以改变整个植物群落的丰度和组成。我们发现，引进北极狐（Alopex lagopus）的阿留申群岛诱导强烈的植物生产力和群落结构的变化，通过以前未知的途径。通过捕食海鸟，狐狸减少了从海洋到陆地的营养物质运输，影响了土壤肥力，并将草原转变为以矮灌木/杂类草为主的生态系统。
Top predators often have powerful direct effects on prey populations, but whether these direct effects propagate to the base of terrestrial food webs is debated. There are few examples of trophic cascades strong enough to alter the abundance and composition of entire plant communities. We show that the introduction of arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) to the Aleutian archipelago induced strong shifts in plant productivity and community structure via a previously unknown pathway. By preying on seabirds, foxes reduced nutrient transport from ocean to land, affecting soil fertility and transforming grasslands to dwarf shrub/forb-dominated ecosystems.